The Go Wolfpack Restaurant Review

GoWolfpack

GoWolfpack

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As I travel around the amazing state of North Carolina, I spend a lot of time thinking about my friends at CFF and how I could share new things with them. Since I'm not @Derek8404, the stuff I share won't make you hate yourself, and since the only thing I'm much good at is eating and we tend to eat out a lot, I had this idea in my head for a restaurant review thread.

I know we already have a favorite restaurant thread. This thread will cover much more than favorites, in fact the majority will be less than favorites or not even in consideration for favorite status.

Of course feel free to add your own thoughts, but I hope that as I travel around my experience can help someone else enjoy their trip more by focusing in on better food choices.


To begin with today's review, Avenue Waterfront Grille in Manteo.
Atmosphere: the whole place was full of reflective surfaces which made the inside VERY LOUD. It wasn't even close to full when we were there. I can't imagine what it must be like full. It must be cacophonous. Do not go here if you have a headache.

View: the view of the water out of the restaurant was very pleasant. If it weren't so hot, sitting outside would have been highly enjoyable. A lot of people were coming and going on boats from the public docks just outside the restaurant.

Food: the food was better than fine but not life-changing. They had local Red drum that was very good and a fried chicken special that was extremely enjoyable. Price was about $20 per person.

Service: the waitress was attentive and apologetic but the kitchen was very very slow. We waited nearly an hour for our food. Not the longest we have ever waited but close. I am willing to put this down to covid staffing problems, however other restaurants are dealing with problems better than this.
 
And to the other end of the state:
The Dan'l Boone Inn restaurant in Boone.

Not Worth It.

Atmosphere: crowded and hot. Uncomfortable chairs and poor ventilation.

View: the view is of the street. And the stuff hanging on the walls.

Food: boring, bland white people food. Maybe if I had been starving for two weeks. I think $25 per person for the family style.

Service: they'll bring you as much as you ask for I guess. Ok, but not spectacular.

Save your money and the calories.
 
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Back to the beach now.

Miller's Waterfront Restaurant in Nags Head.

Atmosphere: like eating inside a garage. A nice garage with a bar, but still a garage. I liked it.

View: soundfront view of the water was spectacular. You can sit at a bar looking out a garage door over the water. If you've never seen the sunset over Croatan Sound put it on your list.

Food: basic burgers and fries type stuff. About $14 per person I guess.

Service: pretty fine. They were nice to my son and took good care of us. Nothing remarkable but perfectly acceptable.

I will definitely go there again.
 
GoWolfpack said:
And to the other end of the state:
The Dan'l Boone Inn restaurant in Boone.

Not Worth It.

Atmosphere: crowded and hot. Uncomfortable chairs and poor ventilation.

View: the view is of the street. And the stuff hanging on the walls.

Food: boring, bland white people food. Maybe if I had been starving for two weeks. I think $25 per person for the family style.

Service: they'll bring you as much as you ask for I guess. Ok, but not spectacular.

Save your money and the calories.
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I think you have to eat at Dan'l Boone Inn once in your life. I did a couple times as a kid with fond memories and took my young kids there probably 10 years ago. We probably won't be back again until the grandkids come. The good thing now is there are a bunch of good restaurants in the area.
 
Carolinatlc said:
I think you have to eat at Dan'l Boone Inn once in your life. I did a couple times as a kid with fond memories and took my young kids there probably 10 years ago. We probably won't be back again until the grandkids come. The good thing now is there are a bunch of good restaurants in the area.
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Well in that case I'll go to my grave knowing I did my duty. No need for them to save a seat for me ever again.
 
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Back to the mountains for the last time tonight.

The Pedalin' Pig in Boone.

Atmosphere: it's a barbeque joint attached to a gas station. I don't think it needs more elaboration.

View: nothing special. It's a barbeque joint attached to a gas station.

Food: it's a barbeque joint attached to a gas station. That should mean it's great.
In reality, the place is pretty new and I think the food reflected that. When I went there it seemed like their smoker hadn't really developed a good coating of filth that gives old time barbeque joints a really special uniqueness. Maybe with a decade of buildup in the smoker their food will gain more flavor. The family BBQ expert (not me) ordered smoked sausage and was certain it was Hillshire Farm. It was fine I guess, but nothing to write home about. Less than $20 per person depending on your desired quantity.

Service: unremarkable. Fine I guess. Not so bad that I remember it.
 
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We're back at the beach for Fish Bites in Carolina Beach.

Atmosphere: seafood dive. Steamer platters served in big pie plates with a bucket to throw the shells in.

View: not on the water, so nothing special.

Food: everything was really good. Can recommend. However just for me and my son it was $33. I got fish tacos with water and he got a kids meal and a milk, so ask what they mean by "market price" on the specials because it could be real high. I did not expect to pay more than $20 for 2 fish tacos.

Service: a little slow but better than a lot of other places since the Kung Flu.
 
GoWolfpack said:
The Dan'l Boone Inn restaurant in Boone.~ Food: boring, bland white people food.
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🤣 I get it, I'm drawn to garlic and fresh hot pepper covered food. I'm not a fan of Cracker Barrel... Ha! Pun intended.

If in Kittyhawk/Avon area, Burger Burger has the best burgers we've ate.
www.tripadvisor.com

BURGER BURGER AVON, LLC - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Burger Burger Avon, LLC, Avon: See 387 unbiased reviews of Burger Burger Avon, LLC, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #3 of 28 restaurants in Avon.
www.tripadvisor.com www.tripadvisor.com
 
Get Off My Lawn said:
🤣 I get it, I'm drawn to garlic and fresh hot pepper covered food. I'm not a fan of Cracker Barrel... Ha! Pun intended.

If in Kittyhawk/Avon area, Burger Burger has the best burgers we've ate.
www.tripadvisor.com

BURGER BURGER AVON, LLC - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Burger Burger Avon, LLC, Avon: See 387 unbiased reviews of Burger Burger Avon, LLC, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #3 of 28 restaurants in Avon.
www.tripadvisor.com www.tripadvisor.com
Click to expand...


I will go to that restaurant.
 
One more for today.

DJ's Restaurant in Salisbury.

Screw those guys, and anybody who looks like those guys.

We waited two hours for our food. They could have raised the cow from insemination to slaughter in the time we waited.

This was after the day out with Thomas the tank engine (always held when it's hotter than Satan's butthole) so my (at the time) two year old son and three year old nephew weren't feeling especially patient. Nobody was really.

We finally asked for our food to go and ate in the lobby of the hotel. The best I can say for it was it didn't make anyone sick.

They couldn't even manage to apologize for our wait.
 
There is a good BBQ joint in Manteo that gives a free sandwich to cops, firemen, Vets, and EMS personnel. Good story as to why they do. If I can find the article I will try and link it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Get Off My Lawn said:
🤣 I get it, I'm drawn to garlic and fresh hot pepper covered food. I'm not a fan of Cracker Barrel... Ha! Pun intended.

If in Kittyhawk/Avon area, Burger Burger has the best burgers we've ate.
www.tripadvisor.com

BURGER BURGER AVON, LLC - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Burger Burger Avon, LLC, Avon: See 387 unbiased reviews of Burger Burger Avon, LLC, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #3 of 28 restaurants in Avon.
www.tripadvisor.com www.tripadvisor.com
Click to expand...

My favorite restaurant used to have a saying:

”no boring food”
 
We went to Kill Devil Hills for breakfast today and tried the Jolly Roger Restaurant.

Atmosphere: low ceiling, cluttered with junk, kinda dirty and dark. Overall the feeling is of an old place that needs to be updated. There are plastic Christmas ornaments hanging from the ceiling all over.

View: there was an outside deck on top that would have been fantastic. But that's for the bar. You can't see the beach from inside. It's on the beach road but the oceanfront houses block most of the view.

Food: my son's waffle was a little soft but not too bad. I got him to eat the whole thing. My omelet and home fries were really good. Coffee wasn't bad either.

Service: they had a sign on the door saying they were short staffed and to please be patient. We had to wait at the front for a guy who didn't seem to care much to seat us. But the waitress was good and took care of us. The food came out fast and hot and she kept my coffee topped off.


I have wanted to go here for a while, but I don't know if I'll be back.
 
We're at the beach this week, so updates for waterfront restaurants incoming.

Saltwater Grill in Swansboro.

Atmosphere: love it. Simple, light, open. If the weather supports eat outside. Absolutely does not disappoint. We're almost never inside because the outside deck is so nice. They have really nice tablecloths.

View: spectacular. Boats coming and going, young attractive wait staff, marshes and river. Worth it.

Food: they make cheesesteak egg rolls that I would commit violence for. I've never gotten anything there that wasn't great. Portions are small and it's expensive. $30 or $40 each.

Service: quick food, great drinks. No excuses, really great all around.

Only issue is the rest of the clientele. Old. Old old old. Could just be the time of year, but the whole place is filled with retirees in floppy hats. I didn't see anyone under 50 except the staff and me.


If in Swansboro, do not go to the Icehouse Restaurant. Very dirty inside and crowded, poor view and generally not great food.
 
DC Bigdaddy said:
he is supposed to be renovating / adding on to it. But I assume with today's prices, that's been kicked to the curb
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We had a really poor experience several years ago, jammed into a corner next to the window air conditioner with flies buzzing around us while we waited.
I think the adjacent bar is pretty good.
 
GoWolfpack said:
I think the adjacent bar is pretty good.
Click to expand...

I was right. The Boro is pretty good.

Atmosphere: packed. Small, tight, close. Seriously, they packed in there. Outside is nice though.

View: nothing to speak of, really just the street in front.

Food: OMG. I didn't try anything that wasn't stunning.

Service: slow. Bad choice if you're in a hurry. It took 30 minutes to get the kids food. I told them I was in a hurry and to bring mine out packaged to go; they didn't.

Great food, slow kitchen.
 
Darrell's Seafood in Manteo, NC.


You might notice that I visit the coast a lot. It's close by and I enjoy it.

Atmosphere: seafood shack. Mounted fish on the walls, pictures of fishing and boats all over. Looked pretty clean.


View: off the water, just street views, but only a few minutes from downtown with all the waterfront stuff.

Food: solid flavor, no effort spent on presentation. Shoestring french fries, really unusual for a sit-down place. My blackened mahi mahi was excellent, but just three rectangles on a melamine plate. Cost $22 for the special and $10 for the kids plate.


Service: real good. It was refreshing to get attentive fast service from a place in these trying times.
 
GoWolfpack said:
Darrell's Seafood in Manteo, NC.


You might notice that I visit the coast a lot. It's close by and I enjoy it.

Atmosphere: seafood shack. Mounted fish on the walls, pictures of fishing and boats all over. Looked pretty clean.


View: off the water, just street views, but only a few minutes from downtown with all the waterfront stuff.

Food: solid flavor, no effort spent on presentation. Shoestring french fries, really unusual for a sit-down place. My blackened mahi mahi was excellent, but just three rectangles on a melamine plate. Cost $22 for the special and $10 for the kids plate.


Service: real good. It was refreshing to get attentive fast service from a place in these trying times.
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I almost forgot; their hush puppies would have been better with onions or corn in them.
 
Tried Barnyard Betsy's in Creswell yesterday. Creswell is a tiny speed bump on the way to the OBX, west of Columbia.

Atmosphere: it's in the "downtown" area, but all they have there is a coffee shop, this sandwich shop, and a tire store. There is minimal seating inside, I think 4 stools at a counter. And it's hot. Their AC is woefully undersized to combat the griddle heat. It's basically a shed with a kitchen in it.
They have an outside seating area with picnic tables and a fire pit, which seemed cool, but the tables and chairs were obviously made by somebody who had never built outdoor furniture before and didn't understand how to make it stable. All very wobbly, but not about to fall apart or anything.

View: NA, street view.

Food: Cash Money. I liked it. Limited selection, but really good flavors. They added something to their cheeseburger that was excellent, even though the burger was smaller than the bun. I got a chicken cheese steak that was delicious.

Service: they were doing a seriously hopping business in call ahead carryout orders. My son and I ordered and had our food in a jiffy. A large family had just ordered before us and waited the whole time while we were there. I don't know what was holding up their food, but the service for just the two of us was cash money. It cost cash money too, $12 for my chicken cheese steak and $8 for a cheeseburger.

If diverting off the highway and buying local is your thing, consider Barnyard Betsy's.
 
Sam & Omies in Nags Head.

This place is a dump. But the good kind of dump. Food still pretty cheap, treated my son good, lots of folks drinking.

Atmosphere: dark. Dark floors, dark walls, dark ceilings, dim lights. Been there for almost 100 years I think. Fishing shack with a bar.

View: street

Food: didn't try the seafood, but my sandwich was pretty cash money. The coleslaw needed salt and pepper but wasn't very sweet, which is a nice change. Most places load their coleslaw with sugar.

I got Hatteras style clam chowder that was great.

Service: nice lady, food was a little slow.
 
I went back to the beach again. Because my son and I were on our own and nobody stopped us.

We hit the nostalgia button and had breakfast at the Dunes restaurant in Nags Head. When I was really young, like about the age my son is now, the only time my dad took us out to eat on our beach vacation was the last day. After we packed the car we went to the Dunes for breakfast on the way out of town. Good thing too, because the ride home was about 9 hours.

On a whim I ordered shrimp and grits.
Hooo lee crap.
The shrimp were really good. And there were lots of them. And the grits had a great big dollop of sausage gravy in the middle. And bacon and chives. Lots of bacon, plenty of chives. I honestly wish the shrimp had been separate, the combination didn't improve things. But it was really great. 8/10, would order again.
 
Dunes, continued:

They had a fire in 2013 and closed for the whole summer that year to renovate. It's nice and clean inside, and I think that in season they have a breakfast buffet but it wasn't available at this time of year.

There is a store that's mostly filled with decorations for old ladies. Since I needed Christmas presents for my mom this was perfect.
 
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Blackpowder Smokehouse, Asheboro. Once they get another decade of crust on their smoker this place will be really good.

French fries were highly addictive, Q was not bad but didn't stay hot despite being served from a steam tray.


Not sure what they based their eastern North Carolina vinegar barbecue sauce on, but it wasn't like George's and that's the best. Too much ketchup I think.

Their Lexington barbecue sauce was pretty good. I tried coleslaw, it wasn't too sweet but didn't have much flavor.


I will go back if I get the chance.
 
Missed this thread originally. Thank you for posting. The last one caught my attention because we’re in Asheboro on occasion.
 
GoWolfpack said:
Barefoot Bernie's Tropical Grill and Bar, Kill Devil Hills NC.

I can't wait to come back here. I had the mahi mahi Reuben sandwich and it was outstanding. Huge drink menu, full bar, great place.
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GoWolfpack said:
Phil's pit BBQ, Black mountain North carolina.

Sides pretty great, neat atmosphere, loads of hats hanging from walls and ceiling. Barbecue just meh. Overall disappointing.
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I totally agree. Phil's on Black mountain was the biggest disappointment I've ever seen that was worst food, worse service ,worst everything from that place.. I will never go back
 
Get Off My Lawn said:
If in Kittyhawk/Avon area, Burger Burger has the best burgers we've ate
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I was just re-reading this thread and did a little googling. Kitty Hawk and Avon are about 50 miles from each other. To drive between them would take over an hour. That's like saying "the Greensboro/Raleigh area".


It's rare for me to go as far south as Avon because I almost exclusively day trip. Rodanthe takes about 3 hours, Avon is quite a bit farther. I guess I could still go though.


Have gun-will travel said:
I totally agree. Phil's on Black mountain was the biggest disappointment I've ever seen that was worst food, worse service ,worst everything from that place.. I will never go back
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I wouldn't say Phil's was the worst I've had, but it certainly wasn't worth it. Their Q was just totally devoid of flavor and they didn't even have a bunch of sauces to cover it with.
 
More thoughts on Blackpowder Smokehouse.

It's in an old building, but the inside has obviously been gutted and it's almost laboratory clean. Jury's out on whether that's good or not. The air was blowing hard inside, that's probably what made my meat get cold so fast. They have a full bar and Dr. Pepper in the soda fountain.

You order and get your food cafeteria style. It gave me a little nostalgia hit thinking about K&W. Almost like I felt when I drove past it. I can't believe we ever stood in line for what felt like forever just to eat the same food they serve at the hospital. What was my dad thinking?


Anyway, they were out of hotdogs at Blackpowder. I guess there's no Food Lion in Asheboro. $6.50 for a kids meal but a $1 upcharge for macaroni and cheese as the side. But like I said, the french fries were delicious. Pulled pork and pulled chicken were $16 per pound. Brisket was about $24 per pound I think. Sandwich meals $12 or $14 and came with a side. I tried both pork and chicken and they were pretty ok. They need lessons from a chain about how to keep it warm for long periods. The guy serving was wearing a beard net. I couldn't look at him in the face.
 
GoWolfpack said:
More thoughts on Blackpowder Smokehouse.

It's in an old building, but the inside has obviously been gutted and it's almost laboratory clean. Jury's out on whether that's good or not. The air was blowing hard inside, that's probably what made my meat get cold so fast. They have a full bar and Dr. Pepper in the soda fountain.

You order and get your food cafeteria style. It gave me a little nostalgia hit thinking about K&W. Almost like I felt when I drove past it. I can't believe we ever stood in line for what felt like forever just to eat the same food they serve at the hospital. What was my dad thinking?


Anyway, they were out of hotdogs at Blackpowder. I guess there's no Food Lion in Asheboro. $6.50 for a kids meal but a $1 upcharge for macaroni and cheese as the side. But like I said, the french fries were delicious. Pulled pork and pulled chicken were $16 per pound. Brisket was about $24 per pound I think. Sandwich meals $12 or $14 and came with a side. I tried both pork and chicken and they were pretty ok. They need lessons from a chain about how to keep it warm for long periods. The guy serving was wearing a beard net. I couldn't look at him in the face.
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The one is and Asheboro hasn’t been open very long. I think they worked on the building about a year. The food is expensive, but flavor wise one of the better local bbq places IMO. The original is in Jamestown. It’s been open for several years and they keep that one really clean also.
 
The 4 Saints brewery is just down the road from Blackpowder in Asheboro.

One of the best breweries in the Piedmont.
 
Get Off My Lawn said:
If in Kittyhawk/Avon area, Burger Burger has the best burgers we've ate
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Burger Burger is under new management as of the end of last year. They were closed when I went by a few days before Christmas.

Instead we tried Bro's sandwich shop. Really good food, but make for sure.you ask about the price of a special. I did not start off that day intending to spend $25 on a Reuben sandwich that I could finish in one sitting. Super good, but did not justify the price.
ETA: the rest of the menu was not so outrageous and would have been fine at a more reasonable $14 average.



Finally away from the tourist spots entirely; Tavern 42 in Clayton.

Do you have all night to wait on a table? Would you like to slip in red clay mud walking to your car? Spin the roulette wheel to predict which meal comes out cold! Tavern 42 might be just the place for you!

It's on highway 42, no surprise, near Flowers Plantation. It's hidden away in a tiny building a little off the road. They are standing room only most of the time. Their bar is crazy popular and the tiny building means very few tables are available.

Why is everyone there? Because it's good. Real good. You might even say it's cash money.

The service is ok once you finally get a table. The wait can be real long, and the parking situation is a joke. Park in the empty lot across the street. In the rain that lots turns to a red mud skating rink.

If you sit down order your food, it seems like one dish is guaranteed to get done super fast and then sit. We always do carryout and have a much better experience.
 
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